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My girlfriend wants to do her STCW course and basicly we can go all over the world. So we are looking for different locations for the best price and quality of the course so maybe we can travel a bit aswell.

Now I find the average course in EU and USA about 1000 USD. South Africa about 600 USD and the phillipines around 100USD. Now I am looking for some answer on the following questions:- How can I tell which one is valid where?

-Is every yacht that specific about where you got your STCW?

- Does anyone has experience with a cheap STCW course? I only hear from the school saying dont pick a cheap one because you cant work with it. Never heard it from a yachty.

- If anyone knows which is a good STCW and is cheap where would it be?

Australias are a bit different with their AMSA things. If you do an AMSA STCW in australia then you can work anywhere but if you do an stcw outside of australia it will most likely not be AMSA accredited so cannot work in Australia with it. Also you wanna be doing STCW with the 2010 security ammendmandts.

-Is every yacht that specific about where you got your STCW?

No

- Does anyone has experience with a cheap STCW course? I only hear from the school saying dont pick a cheap one because you cant work with it. Never heard it from a yachty.

I did cheap one in phuket and am fine working on a 100m+ private yacht

- If anyone knows which is a good STCW and is cheap where would it be?

Phuket and there is also cheap ones in bangkok (bang na) and pattaya. However the phillipine one you mention is also very cheap.

A note on the quality of cheap courses. The one I did was very easy and laid back. There were people that didnt even go in the water and still passed. However although I dont regret doing it as it saved me a lot of money, next time (5 yr renewal) I would be looking to do a better quality one as I feel theres a lot I wasnt taught. Renewal will be paid for by employer anyway.

Hi there,
- How can I tell which one is valid where?
This depends on the flag state of the yacht you join. However, as a rule of thumb most flag states accept STCWs issued in a country that is listed on the IMO white list. A simple google search will bring up the list. Just make sure it is the latest list.
-Is every yacht that specific about where you got your STCW?
This is, in my opinion, dependent on how particular the captain is. However please be aware that the DPA and office will (should) check everyone’s certificates. If the yacht is ISM and MLC compliant (and operating commercially) then every crewmember should be in the possession of a valid STCW. As mentioned above most flag states (MCA, Cayman MI etc etc.) accept STCWs issued by a country listed on the IMO white list.
Furthermore, the training school's website should give you a good indication whether their courses are approved by the maritime authority of the country that they are based in. If not I would suggest contacting them and ask who their STCW courses are approved by and what maritime administration they are issued under.
There are certain remarks and statements that the certificate(s) should contain. Such as; the corresponding STCW regulations, the issuing country and who it was issued by.
- Does anyone has experience with a cheap STCW course? I only hear from the school saying dont pick a cheap one because you cant work with it. Never heard it from a yachty.
This is difficult to say. The standards of training varies. From experience Warsash is very good. Although there are places in South africa which are cheaper and the training I hear is just as good. The prices are in a way beside the point. If a course courses £10 but it is approved by the administration of a white list country then it's just as valid as a similar course costing £1000. However there is bound to be a reason why a course is so cheap and it is probably going to be the standard of training and instruction.
- If anyone knows which is a good STCW and is cheap where would it be?
SA - Maritime Safety Training and Development
I would avoid any extremely cheap courses for the reasons noted above. At the end of the day this training is required for a reason. I am sure you would like to be as best equipped as possible in the event of a real emergency.